Life Sciences Commons^™

Evidence That Aquaporin 11 (Aqp11) In The Spiny Dogfish (Squalus Acanthias) May Represent A Pseudogene, Christopher P. Cutler, Meghan Canicatti, Esosa Omoregie

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Various attempts to amplify an AQP11 cDNA from tissues of the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) were made. Two pairs of deoxy-inosine-containing degenerate primers were designed based on conserved amino acid sequences from an AQP11 alignment. These primers yielded some faint bands from gill cDNA that were sequenced. Blast searches with the sequences showed they were not AQP11. An elasmobranch AQP11 nucleotide sequence alignment was produced to identify conserved regions to make further degenerate primers. One primer pair produced a short 148 bp fragment showing particularly strong amplification in gill and intestine. It was sequenced and represented a piece of the …

Length Of Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (Cure) Impacts Student Learning And Attitudinal Outcomes: A Study Of The Malate Dehydrogenase Cures Community (Mcc), Sue Ellen Dechenne-Peters, John Rakus, Amy D. Parente, Tamara L. Mans, Rebecca Eddy, Nicole Galport, Courtney Koletar, Joseph J. Provost, J. Ellis Bell, Jessica K. Bell

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are laboratory courses that integrate broadly relevant problems, discovery, use of the scientific process, collaboration, and iteration to provide more students with research experiences than is possible in individually mentored faculty laboratories. Members of the national Malate dehydrogenase CUREs Community (MCC) investigated the differences in student impacts between traditional laboratory courses (control), a short module CURE within traditional laboratory courses (mCURE), and CUREs lasting the entire course (cCURE). The sample included approximately 1,500 students taught by 22 faculty at 19 institutions. We investigated course structures for elements of a CURE and student outcomes including student …

Aquaporin Expression And Cholesterol Content In Eel Swimbladder Tissue, Victoria Drechsel, Gabriel Schneebauer, Birgit Fiechtner, Christopher P. Cutler, Bernd Pelster

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Leakiness of the swimbladder wall of teleost fishes must be prevented to avoid diffusional loss of gases out of the swimbladder. Guanine incrustation as well as high concentrations of cholesterol in swimbladder membranes in midwater and deep-sea fish has been connected to a reduced gas permeability of the swimbladder wall. On the contrary, the swimbladder is filled by diffusion of gases, mainly oxygen and CO2, from the blood and the gas gland cells into the swimbladder lumen. In swimbladder tissue of the zebrafish and the Japanese eel, aquaporin mRNA has been detected, and the aquaporin protein has been considered important …

Impacts Of Detritivore Diversity Loss On Instream Decomposition Are Greatest In The Tropics, Luz Boyero, Naiara López-Rojo, Alan M. Tonin, Javier Pérez, Francisco Correa-Araneda, Richard G. Pearson, Jaime Bosch, Ricardo J. Albariño, Sankarappan Anbalagan, Leon A. Barmuta, Ana Basaguren, Francis J. Burdon, Adriano Caliman, Marcos Callisto, Ian C. Campbell, Bradley J. Cardinale, J. Jesús Casas, Ana M. Chará-Serna, Eric Chauvet, Szymon Ciapała, Jose Checo Colón-Gaud, Aydeé Cornejo, Aaron M. Davis, Monika Degebrodt, Emerson S. Dias, María E. Díaz, Michael M. Douglas, Andrea C. Encalada, Ricardo Figueroa, Alexander S. Flecker, Tadeusz Fleituch, Erica A. García, Gabriela García, Pavel E. García, Mark O. Gessner, Jesús E. Gómez, Sergio Gómez, Jose F. Gonçalves Jr, Manuel A. S. Graça, Daniel C. Gwinn, Robert O. Hall Jr., Neusa Hamada, Cang Hui, Daichi Imazawa, Tomoya Iwata, Samuel K. Kariuki, Andrea Landeira-Dabarca, Kelsey A. Laymon, María Leal, Richard Marchant, Renato T. Martins, Frank O. Masese, Megan Maul, Brendan G. Mckie, Adriana O. Medeiros, Charles M. M’ Erimba, Jen A. Middleton, Silvia Monroy, Timo Muotka, Junjiro N. Negishi, Alonso Ramírez, John S. Richardson, José Rincón, Juan Rubio-Ríos, Gisele M. Dos Santos, Romain Sarremejane, Fran Sheldon, Augustine Sitati, Nathalie S. D. Tenkiano, Scott D. Tiegs, Janine R. Tolod, Michael Venarsky, Anne Watson, Catherine M. Yule

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

The relationship between detritivore diversity and decomposition can provide information on how biogeochemical cycles are affected by ongoing rates of extinction, but such evidence has come mostly from local studies and microcosm experiments. We conducted a globally distributed experiment (38 streams across 23 countries in 6 continents) using standardised methods to test the hypothesis that detritivore diversity enhances litter decomposition in streams, to establish the role of other characteristics of detritivore assemblages (abundance, biomass and body size), and to determine how patterns vary across realms, biomes and climates. We observed a positive relationship between diversity and decomposition, strongest in tropical …

Latitude Dictates Plant Diversity Effects On Instream Decomposition, Luz Boyero, Javier Pérez, Naiara López-Rojo, Alan M. Tonin, Francisco Correa-Araneda, Richard G. Pearson, Jaime Bosch, Ricardo J. Albariño, Sankarappan Anbalagan, Leon A. Barmuta, Leah Beesley, Francis J. Burdon, Adriano Caliman, Marcos Callisto, Ian C. Campbell, Bradley J. Cardinale, J. Jesús Casas, Ana M. Chará-Serna, Szymon Ciapała, Eric Chauvet, Jose Checo Colón-Gaud, Aydeé Cornejo, Aaron M. Davis, Monika Degebrodt, Emerson S. Dias, María E. Díaz, Michael M. Douglas, Arturo Elosegi, Andrea C. Encalada, Elvira De Eyto, Ricardo Figueroa, Alexander S. Flecker, André Frainer, Juliana S. França, Erica A. García, Gabriela García, Pavel E. García, Mark O. Gessner, Paul S. Giller, Jesús E. Gómez, Sergio Gómez, José F. Gonçalves Jr., Manuel A. S. Graça, Robert O. Hall Jr., Neusa Hamada, Luiz U. Hepp, Cang Hui, Daichi Imazawa, Tomoya Iwata, Edson S. A. Junior, Samuel K. Kariuki, Andrea Landeira-Dabarca, María Leal, Kaisa Lehosmaa, Charles M. M’ Erimba, Richard Marchant, Renato T. Martins, Frank O. Masese, Megan Camden, Brendan G. Mckie, Adriana O. Medeiros, Jen A. Middleton, Timo Muotka, Junjiro N. Negishi, Jesús Pozo, Alonso Ramírez, Renan S. Rezende, John S. Richardson, José Rincón, Juan Rubio-Ríos, Claudia Serrano, Angela R. Shaffer, Fran Sheldon, Christopher M. Swan, Nathalie S. D. Tenkiano, Scott D. Tiegs, Janine R. Tolod, Michael Vernasky, Anne Watson, Mourine J. Yegon, Catherine M. Yule

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Running waters contribute substantially to global carbon fluxes through decomposition of terrestrial plant litter by aquatic microorganisms and detritivores. Diversity of this litter may influence instream decomposition globally in ways that are not yet understood. We investigated latitudinal differences in decomposition of litter mixtures of low and high functional diversity in 40 streams on 6 continents and spanning 113° of latitude. Despite important variability in our dataset, we found latitudinal differences in the effect of litter functional diversity on decomposition, which we explained as evolutionary adaptations of litter-consuming detritivores to resource availability. Specifically, a balanced diet effect appears to operate …

Mite Load Predicts The Quality Of Sexual Color And Locomotor Performance In A Sexually Dichromatic Lizard, Richard W. Orton, Chase T. Kinsey, Lance D. Mcbrayer

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Since Darwin, the maintenance of bright sexual colors has recurrently been linked to mate preference. However, the mechanisms underpinning such preferences for bright colors would not be resolved for another century. Likely, the idea of selection for colors that could decrease the chances of survival (e.g., flashy colors that can inadvertently attract predators) was perceived as counterintuitive. It is now widely accepted that these extreme colors often communicate to mates the ability to survive despite a “handicap” and act as honest signals of individual quality when they are correlated with the quality of other traits that are directly linked to …

Global Patterns And Drivers Of Ecosystem Functioning In Rivers And Riparian Zones, Scott D. Tiegs, David M. Costello, Mark W. Isken, Guy Woodward, Peter B. Mcintyre, Mark O. Gessner, Eric Chauvet, Natalie A. Griffiths, Alexander S. Flecker, Vicenç Acuña, Ricardo J. Albariño, Daniel C. Allen, Cecilia Alonso, Patricio Andino, Clay Arango, Jukka Aroviita, Marcus V. M. Barbosa, Leon A. Barmuta, Colden V. Baxter, Jose Checo Colón-Gaud

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

River ecosystems receive and process vast quantities of terrestrial organic carbon, the fate of which depends strongly on microbial activity. Variation in and controls of processing rates, however, are poorly characterized at the global scale. In response, we used a peer-sourced research network and a highly standardized carbon processing assay to conduct a global-scale field experiment in greater than 1000 river and riparian sites. We found that Earth’s biomes have distinct carbon processing signatures. Slow processing is evident across latitudes, whereas rapid rates are restricted to lower latitudes. Both the mean rate and variability decline with latitude, suggesting temperature constraints …

Forelimb Position Affects Facultative Bipedal Locomotion In Lizards, Chase T. Kinsey, Lance D. Mcbrayer

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Recent work indicates that bipedal posture in lizards is advantageous during obstacle negotiation. However, little is known about how bipedalism occurs beyond a lizard's acceleratory threshold. Furthermore, no study to date has examined the effects of forelimb position on the body center of mass (BCoM) in the context of bipedalism. This study quantified the frequency of bipedalism when sprinting with versus without an obstacle at 0.8 m from the start of a sprint. Forelimb positions were quantified during bipedal running at the start of a sprint and when crossing an obstacle. Two species with contrasting body forms (and thus different …

Parrots And Palms: Analyzing Data To Determine Best Management Strategies And Sustainable Harvest Levels, James P. Gibbs, J. Michelle Cawthorn, Adriana Bravo, Ana L. Porzecanski

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

This exercise¹ presents a scenario and raw data on a realistic conflict between parrot conservation and palm tree harvest. It requires that students analyze data very comparable to what would be gathered in the field, to: 1) construct a life tables for the palm and parrot, 2) extract vital statistics about both the palm and parrot population from the life tables, 3) estimate maximum sustainable yield for both species, and 4) make a decision about the sustainability of harvest intensity. It illustrates the importance of data analysis skills for conservation.

Riparian Plant Litter Quality Increases With Latitude, Luz Boyero, Manuel A. S. Graça, Alan M. Tonin, Javier Pérez, Andrew J. Swafford, Verónica Ferreira, Andrea Landeira-Dabarca, Markos A. Alexandrou, Mark O. Gessner, Brendan G. Mckie, Ricardo J. Albariño, Leon A. Barmuta, Marcos Castillo, Julián Chará, Eric Chauvet, Jose Checo Colón-Gaud, David Dudgeon, Andrea C. Encalada, Ridcardo Figueroa, Alexander S. Flecker, Tadeusz Fleituch, André Frainer, José F. Gonçalves Jr., Julie E. Helson, Tomoya Iwata, Jude Mathooko, Charles M'Erimba, Catherine M. Pringle, Alonso Ramírez, Christopher M. Swan, Catherine M. Yule, Richard G. Pearson

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Plant litter represents a major basal resource in streams, where its decomposition is partly regulated by litter traits. Litter-trait variation may determine the latitudinal gradient in decomposition in streams, which is mainly microbial in the tropics and detritivore-mediated at high latitudes. However, this hypothesis remains untested, as we lack information on large-scale trait variation for riparian litter. Variation cannot easily be inferred from existing leaf-trait databases, since nutrient resorption can cause traits of litter and green leaves to diverge. Here we present the first global-scale assessment of riparian litter quality by determining latitudinal variation (spanning 107°) in litter traits (nutrient …

Investigating The Relationship Between Instructors’ Use Of Active Learning Strategies And Students’ Conceptual Understanding And Affective Changes In Introductory Biology: A Comparison Of Two Active-Learning Environments, Lacy M. Cleveland, Jeffrey T. Olimpo, Sue Dechenne-Peters

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

In response to calls for reform in undergraduate biology education, we conducted research examining how varying active-learning strategies impacted students’ conceptual understanding, attitudes, and motivation in two sections of a large-lecture introductory cell and molecular biology course. Using a quasi-experimental design, we collected quantitative data to compare participants’ conceptual understanding, attitudes, and motivation in the biological sciences across two contexts that employed different active-learning strategies and that were facilitated by unique instructors. Students participated in either graphic organizer/worksheet activities or clicker-based case studies. After controlling for demographic and presemester affective differences, we found that students in both active-learning environments displayed …

The European Eel Nccβ Gene Encodes A Thiazide-Resistant Na-Cl Cotransporter, Erika Moreno, Consuelo Plata, Alejandro Rodríguez-Gama, Eduardo R. Argaiz, Norma Vázquez, Karla Leyva, Carmen Y. Hernández-Carballo, León Islas, Christopher P. Cutler, Diana Pacheco-Alvarez, Adriana Mercado, Raquel Cariño-Cortés, Gerardo Gamba

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

The thiazide-sensitive Na-Cl cotransporter (NCC) is the major pathway for salt reabsorption in the mammalian distal convoluted tubule. NCC plays a key role in the regulation of blood pressure. Its inhibition with thiazides constitutes the primary baseline therapy for arterial hypertension. However, the thiazide-binding site in NCC is unknown. Mammals have only one gene encoding for NCC. The eel, however, contains a duplicate gene. NCCα is an ortholog of mammalian NCC and is expressed in the kidney. NCCβ is present in the apical membrane of the rectum. Here we cloned and functionally characterized NCCβ from the European eel. The cRNA …

Population Viability Analysis For Endangered Roanoke Logperch, James Henry Roberts, Paul L. Angermeier, Gregory B. Anderson

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

A common strategy for recovering endangered species is ensuring that populations exceed the minimum viable population size (MVP), a demographic benchmark that theoretically ensures low long-term extinction risk. One method of establishing MVP is population viability analysis, a modeling technique that simulates population trajectories and forecasts extinction risk based on a series of biological, environmental, and management assumptions. Such models also help identify key uncertainties that have a large influence on extinction risk. We used stochastic count-based simulation models to explore extinction risk, MVP, and the possible benefits of alternative management strategies in populations of Roanoke logperch Percina rex, an …

A Long-Term Study Of Ecological Impacts Of River Channelization On The Population Of An Endangered Fish: Lessons Learned For Assessment And Restoration, James Henry Roberts, Gregory B. Anderson, Paul L. Angermeier

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Projects to assess environmental impact or restoration success in rivers focus on project-specific questions but can also provide valuable insights for future projects. Both restoration actions and impact assessments can become “adaptive” by using the knowledge gained from long-term monitoring and analysis to revise the actions, monitoring, conceptual model, or interpretation of findings so that subsequent actions or assessments are better informed. Assessments of impact or restoration success are especially challenging when the indicators of interest are imperiled species and/or the impacts being addressed are complex. From 1997 to 2015, we worked closely with two federal agencies to monitor habitat …

Teaching For Higher Levels Of Thinking: Developing Quantitative And Analytical Skills In Environmental Science Courses, Adriana Bravo, Ana Porzecanski, Eleanor Sterling, Nora Bynum, J. Michelle Cawthorn, Denny S. Fernandez Del Viso, Laurie Freeman, Stuart Ketcham, Timothy Leslie, John Mull, Donna Vogler

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Professionals with strong quantitative and analytical skills are essential to understanding and responding to current environmental challenges. The goal of this study was to promote and evaluate the development of data analysis (DA) skills in undergraduate students through targeted interventions in environmental science courses. We developed materials to promote practice, instruction, and assessment of four core DA dimensions: the ability to make appropriate calculations, convert data to graphical representations, interpret graphical or mathematical information, and draw conclusions based on the analysis of data. We integrated two conservation exercises as pre/post assessment tools, flanking differentiated teaching interventions, into selected science courses …

Consequences Of Secondary Calibrations On Divergence Time Estimates, John J. Schenk

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Secondary calibrations (calibrations based on the results of previous molecular dating studies) are commonly applied in divergence time analyses in groups that lack fossil data; however, the consequences of applying secondary calibrations in a relaxed-clock approach are not fully understood. I tested whether applying the posterior estimate from a primary study as a prior distribution in a secondary study results in consistent age and uncertainty estimates. I compared age estimates from simulations with 100 randomly replicated secondary trees. On average, the 95% credible intervals of node ages for secondary estimates were significantly younger and narrower than primary estimates. The primary …

Epigenetic Response To Habitat Change: Changes Variation In Dna Methylation Frequencies And Generational Transmission Vary With Invasion Status, Aaron W. Schrey, Travis R. Robbins, Jacob D. Lee, David W. Dukes, Alexandria K. Ragsdale, Christopher J. Thawley, Tracy Langkilde

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Epigenetic mechanisms may be important for a native species’ response to rapid environmental change. Red Imported Fire Ants (Solenopsis invicta Santschi, 1916) were recently introduced to areas occupied by the Eastern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus Bosc & Daudin, 1801). Behavioral, morphological and physiological phenotypes of the Eastern Fence Lizard have changed following invasion, creating a natural biological system to investigate environmentally induced epigenetic changes. We tested for variation in DNA methylation patterns in Eastern Fence Lizard populations associated with different histories of invasion by Red Imported Fire Ants. At methylation sensitive amplified fragment length polymorphism loci, we detected a higher …

Population Density Of The Florida Scrub Lizard (Sceloporus Woodi) In Managed Sand Pine Scrub And Longleaf Pine Sandhill Habitats, Matthew D. Kaunert, Lance D. Mcbrayer

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Studies investigating managed landscapes are of increasing importance, as fragmentation is a known cause of biodiversity loss. From June to September 2012, we sampled populations of the rare, endemic Florida Scrub Lizard (Sceloporus woodi) across the Ocala National Forest (ONF) to compare lizard density across two managed habitat types. Florida Scrub habitat in the ONF is clearcut and roller-chopped, whereas Longleaf Pine habitat is managed via prescribed burning. We sampled 10 stands of Florida Scrub (2–3 y post disturbance) and 10 stands of Longleaf Pine (1 y post-disturbance) for lizards. We compared lizard density between the interior of …

Are Eastern Oysters Being Bored To Death? Influence Of Cliona Celata On Crassostrea Virginica Condition, Growth And Survival, John M. Carroll, Katheryn A. O'Shaughnessy, Grant A. Diedrich, Christopher M. Finelli

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

The boring sponge Cliona celata is a nuisance species that can have deleterious effects on eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica growth, condition, and survival. Surprisingly, however, these effects have not been well documented and when examined, results have been equi-vocal. In this study, we provide a direct comparison of growth, condition, and survival of sponge-colonized and uncolonized oysters in southeast North Carolina in 2 separate experiments. In the first experiment, sponge-colonized oysters exhibited significantly slower growth rates, reduced condition, and lower survival relative to uncolonized oysters, although results may have been confounded by oyster source. In the second experiment, using smaller …

Evidence For The Persistence Of Food Web Structure After Amphibian Extirpation In A Neotropical Stream, Thomas R. Barnum, John M. Drake, Jose Checo Colón-Gaud, Amanda T. Rugenski, Therese C. Frauendorf, Scott Connelly, Susan S. Kilham, Matt R. Whiles, Karen R. Lips, Catherine M. Pringle

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Species losses are predicted to simplify food web structure, and disease‐driven amphibian declines in Central America offer an opportunity to test this prediction. Assessment of insect community composition, combined with gut content analyses, was used to generate periphyton–insect food webs for a Panamanian stream, both pre‐ and post‐amphibian decline. We then used network analysis to assess the effects of amphibian declines on food web structure. Although 48% of consumer taxa, including many insect taxa, were lost between pre‐ and post‐amphibian decline sampling dates, connectance declined by less than 3%. We then quantified the resilience of food web structure by calculating …

Water Transport And The Functional Dynamics Of Aquaporins In Osmoregulatory Organs Of Fishes, Steffen S. Madsen, Morton B. Engelund, Christopher P. Cutler

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Aquaporins play distinct roles for water transport in fishes as they do in mammals—both at the cellular, organ, and organismal levels. However, with over 32,000 known species of fishes inhabiting almost every aquatic environment, from tidal pools, small mountain streams, to the oceans and extreme salty desert lakes, the challenge to obtain consensus as well as specific knowledge about aquaporin physiology in these vertebrate clades is overwhelming. Because the integumental surfaces of these animals are in intimate contact with the surrounding milieu, passive water loss and uptake represent two of the major osmoregulatory challenges that need compensation. However, neither obligatory …

Editors' Note, Laura B. Regassa, Delena Gatch

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Dear colleagues,

The International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning is undergoing some major changes.

• The layout of the journal has been overhauled, giving it a look that better aligns with the quality of the content. As we continue to struggle with SoTL “counting” as scholarship at some institutions, it is important to package our work in a way that reinforces its value. We hope you enjoy the new look!

• Articles are being assigned DOI (digital object identifier) numbers. All articles, past and present, will be tagged and linked to metadata as indexing is completed over the next …

The Lineage-Specific Evolution Of Aquaporin Gene Clusters Facilitated Tetrapod Terrestrial Adaptation, Roderick Nigel Finn, François Chauvigné, Jón Baldur Hlidberg, Christopher P. Cutler, Joan Cerdà

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

A major physiological barrier for aquatic organisms adapting to terrestrial life is dessication in the aerial environment. This barrier was nevertheless overcome by the Devonian ancestors of extant Tetrapoda, but the origin of specific molecular mechanisms that solved this water problem remains largely unknown. Here we show that an ancient aquaporin gene cluster evolved specifically in the sarcopterygian lineage, and subsequently diverged into paralogous forms of AQP2, -5, or -6 to mediate water conservation in extant Tetrapoda. To determine the origin of these apomorphic genomic traits, we combined aquaporin sequencing from jawless and jawed vertebrates with broad taxon assembly of …

Do Omnivorous Shrimp Influence Mayfly Nymphs In A Tropical Island Stream?, Nicholas A. Macías, Jose Checo Colón-Gaud, Jonathan W. Duggins, Alonso Ramírez

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Interspecific interactions can play an important role in determining habitat selection and resource use between competing species. We examined interactions between an omnivorous shrimp and a grazing mayfly, two co-dominant taxa found in Puerto Rican headwater streams, to assess how predator presence may influence mayfly resource use and instantaneous growth in a tropical rainforest ecosystem. We conducted a series of behavioral and growth experiments to determine the effects of the freshwater shrimp, Xiphocaris elongata, on the growth rate and resource selection of mayfly nymphs in the family Leptophlebiidae. For resource choice assessments, we conducted a series of five day laboratory …

Characterization Of Aquaporin 4 Protein Expression And Localization In Tissues Of The Dogfish (Squalus Acanthias), Christopher P. Cutler, Sheena Harmon, Jonathan Walsh, Kia Burch

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

The role of aquaporin water channels such as aquaporin 4 (Aqp4) in elasmobranchs such as the dogfish Squalus acanthias is completely unknown. This investigation set out to determine the expression and cellular and sub-cellular localization of Aqp4 protein in dogfish tissues. Two polyclonal antibodies were generated (AQP4/1 and AQP4/2) and these showed somewhat different characteristics in Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Western blots using the AQP4/1 antibody showed two bands (35.5 and 49.5 kDa) in most tissues in a similar fashion to mammals. Liver had an additional band of 57 kDa and rectal gland two further faint bands of 37.5 and …

Aquaporin 4 Is A Ubiquitously Expressed Isoform In The Dogfish (Squalus Acanthias) Shark, Christopher P. Cutler, Bryce Maciver, Gordon Cramb, Mark L. Zeidel

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

The dogfish ortholog of aquaporin 4 (AQP4) was amplified from cDNA using degenerate PCR followed by cloning and sequencing. The complete coding region was then obtained using 5′ and 3′ RACE techniques. Alignment of the sequence with AQP4 amino acid sequences from other species showed that dogfish AQP4 has high levels (up to 65.3%) of homology with higher vertebrate sequences but lower levels of homology to Agnathan (38.2%) or teleost (57.5%) fish sequences. Northern blotting indicated that the dogfish mRNA was approximately 3.2 kb and was highly expressed in the rectal gland (a shark fluid secretory organ). Semi-quantitative PCR further …

Effects Of Training And Testosterone On Muscle-Fiber Types And Locomotor Performance In Male Six-Lined Racerunners (Aspidoscelis Sexlineata), Jennifer L. O'Conner, Lance D. Mcbrayer, Timothy E. Higham, Jerry F. Husak, Ignacio T. Moore, David C. Rostal

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Testosterone (T) is thought to affect a variety of traits important for fitness, including coloration, the size of sexual ornaments, aggression, and locomotor performance. Here, we investigated the effects of experimentally elevated T and locomotor training on muscle physiology and running performance in a nonterritorial male lizard species (Aspidoscelis sexlineata). Additionally, several morphological attributes were quantified to examine other characters that are likely affected by T and/or a training regimen. Neither training alone nor training with T supplementation resulted in increased locomotor performance. Instead, we found that T and training resulted in a decrease in each of three …

Getting Up To Speed: Acceleration Strategies In The Florida Scrub Lizard, Sceloporus Woodi, Eric J. Mcelroy, Lance D. Mcbrayer

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Small animals typically rely on quick bursts and intermittent pauses when moving in the wild. Hence, the study of acceleration capacity is important for understanding the ecology and evolution of locomotor performance. In this study, we investigate intraspecific variation in the acceleration capacity of a small lizard (Sceloporus woodi). To quantify animal acceleration performance, the momentum‐impulse theorem is applied to data collected from high‐speed video recordings of individuals accelerating from a standstill and over a subsequent distance of 0.4 m. Unlike earlier studies, the momentum‐impulse approach allows one to directly and precisely quantify the per step contribution to …

Stream Invertebrate Responses To A Catastrophic Decline In Consumer Diversity, Jose Checo Colón-Gaud, Matt R. Whiles, Karen R. Lips, Catherine M. Pringle, Susan Kilham, Roberto Brenes, Scot D. Peterson

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

Tadpoles are often abundant and diverse consumers in headwater streams in the Neotropics. However, their populations are declining catastrophically in many regions, in part because of a chytrid fungal pathogen. These declines are occurring along a moving disease front in Central America and offer the rare opportunity to quantify the consequences of a sudden, dramatic decline in consumer diversity in a natural system. As part of the Tropical Amphibian Declines in Streams (TADS) project, we examined stream macroinvertebrate assemblage structure and production for 2 y in 4 stream reaches at 2 sites in Panama. One site initially had healthy amphibians …

Use Of Trees By The Texas Ratsnake (Elaphe Obsoleta) In Eastern Texas, Josh B. Pierce, Robert R. Fleet, Lance D. Mcbrayer, D. Craig Rudolph

Department of Biology Faculty Publications

We present information on the use of trees by Elaphe obsoleta (Texas Ratsnake) in a mesic pine-hardwood forest in eastern Texas. Using radiotelemetry, seven snakes (3 females, 4 males) were relocated a total of 363 times from April 2004 to May 2005, resulting in 201 unique locations. Snakes selected trees containing cavities and used hardwoods and snags for a combined 95% of arboreal locations. Texas Ratsnake arboreal activity peaked during July and August, well after the peak of avian breeding activity, suggesting arboreal activity involves factors other than avian predation.